


The Skilled Hawk Hides Its Talons

by Saysi



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon Compliant as far as I'm aware, Competitive Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Japanese National Team, M/M, Olympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 23:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15107342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saysi/pseuds/Saysi
Summary: No one really understood why Japan kept bringing the same two people for one event, especially since neither of them had ever actually gotten a medal. But when the pair are seeded into the same heat, things start to make a little more sense.Happy Birthday Haru!





	1. Chapter 1

It had been nearly three years since Rin first stepped into the limelight. After a run of record-breaking times, Japan had wasted no time in calling him back home, offering him every resource they had at their disposal to convince him. He was practically a superstar as far as the national association was concerned. 

Rin liked to think he wasn't one to succumb to the pressures of competition, but the moment he became a star was the moment he cracked. He had sat in his hotel room after his first home event, angry tears flooding his face, failing to scrub them away with clenched fists. He had cried his silent tears, then he had grabbed a towel and gone down to the hotel pool to practice.

It wasn't his first event, and he wouldn't let it be his last.

Haruka, on the other hand, had clawed his way up. None of his friends would have believed it if he told them how much he'd worked, how many times he'd begged. He was too young, they claimed. Too inexperienced. Too fickle about completing his training sets, rather than just floating around in the shallows.

So he'd changed.

He'd worked harder than anyone else.

Every morning, he was in the pool the moment it opened, while his teammates were still yawning and fumbling for their suits. The staff had taken a shine to him, with his floppy hair and shiny eyes, the way he lit up when they opened the doors. Soon enough they'd been making exceptions for him.

By the time the pool opening in the morning, Haru had already been swimming for an hour.

When the pool closed, Haru was still there, begging to stay until the second they locked the doors.

Some days, mostly in the summer, he'd gotten dressed on the street outside – he hadn't allowed himself the time to change before they locked up.

And finally, _finally,_ they'd met again. 

* * *

The first time Rin walked in for National Team training, chatting with friends and fans alike around him, his blood red eyes had gone straight to the dark head bobbing in the water.

"He's always here," one of their teammates explained. "He bribes the owners or something and they let him in early."

"He's here when they open and he's here when they close," someone else agreed. "I don't know if he leaves somewhere in between."

"He doesn't really talk, either. What was his name? Nanase?"

"Yeah," Rin nodded. "I know him."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

He threw his bag aside and marched over to the tiles surrounding the pool. It was no Sydney, but yeah, he thought he could get used to this place. Especially if that familiar face was beside him.

Rin crouched at the poolside, grinning as the figure reached him and stopped, holding out a hand. Haru accepted it without a word and let Rin haul him up, throwing his arms immediately around the taller man's waist, smiling when he heard the familiar laughter.

"You're getting me all wet, Haru," Rin complained half-heartedly. "How could you?"

Despite his teasing complaints, he hugged Haru back just as tightly. It was nice, actually, he thought. Haru didn't often hug him first, he was usually the one whining when Rin demanded it of him.

"Long time no see, Haru," he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment. "How are you?"

"Get in the pool," Haru demanded, pulling away. "Let's go."

* * *

At every international event after that day, the pair had been on deck. They'd become familiar faces in the Freestyle division, always sitting together on the sidelines, goading each other quietly or offering advice that was rebuffed but nonetheless taken. 

Other frequenters of the circuit wondered about them when they weren't looking. Why would Japan bring two people for the same event, when they could enter a wider range? Why did they keep showing up when neither of them had won a medal since making the team? Why two men so young, when their seniors, with much better track records, were ready and waiting to take their spots the moment the opportunity arose?

So when Olympic Village opened, and the other teams saw the pair walking toward the Aquatic Centre, it opened a massive can of worms.

Haru wasn't big on social media, or the internet in general, really. So he didn't notice the controversy beginning, didn't see the comments and articles and complaints that spread like wildfire.

It began with one post, a short message from one of the Butterfly competitors.

"It still confuses me that some nations bring athletes just because they're record holders," it read. "Leave the past in the past!"

The account had a lot of followers, so it didn't take long for the gossip to start. Within hours the fateful comment had appeared.

"You mean the Japanese kids? Haha I saw them this morning, madness right?"

It blew up.

Without their knowledge, suddenly everyone was whispering, everywhere they went. Without them hearing, everyone was discussing their records, their chances. And without them seeing, photos and posts spread like wildfire.

"Matsuoka, hey," one of the older Japanese swimmers smiled as he caught up to them in a hurry. "I just wondered, have you been online lately?"

"Oh, uh, no," he shook his head, frowning slightly. "I couldn't get the Wifi working, so I just gave up. Did you send me a message?"

"Oh, no, it's okay. I was just worried when I hadn't seen you around! How about you, Nanase?"

"I don't use that stuff."

"Oh, well, good for you! I should really cut it out! We're here to focus, right? I shouldn't even be carrying my phone with me!"

With a nervous laugh he left again in a hurry and Rin and Haru exchanged a confused look.

"Whatever," Haru shrugged. "I'd rather swim than stare at my phone."

"Yeah, me too." He laid a hand on Haru's back lightly, aiming him toward the cafeteria. "But first I need to eat, I'm starving."

"Race you."

"You're on!"

* * *

The moment Rin and Haru stepped out to the pool side, Rin realised something was wrong. There were too many cameras pointed their way, too many whispers spreading through the crowd. Something in his stomach clenched tightly, and he shot a nervous glance at Haru.

"Do they know, do you think?" he asked quietly.

"No," Haru shook his head. "Someone would have said something, our coach or teammates."

"Then why are they staring at us like that?"

Their own teammates looked away in a hurry, hoping to blend in with the crowd, but Haru caught it.

"Everyone knows but us," he mumbled. "Whatever it is."

In the end it was one of the Australians who approached them, who set a hand on Rin's shoulder and led him away from the crowd.

"Long time no see, Rin. I guess you haven't been reading the stuff online?"

"No, I just kind of noticed something weird was going on. Do you want to give me a summary?"

"Here."

He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, offering it to Rin, and he frowned as he scanned the headline.

"One event, two athletes, zero medals." He scowled, "is that what it is? They're gossiping about our medal count?"

"Yeah, there was some snarky comment about how Japan keeps bring the two of you to compete Free even though neither of you has made it past semifinals. A few people got heated about bringing people with old records instead of up-and-comers or something."

"I guess we'd better avoid the interviews for a while."

"Yeah, I thought you should know."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

"You competing Fly this time?"

"Yeah but not for a few days. I'll see you out there, yeah?"

"Looking forward to it."

He shoved his way back through the crowd to Haru's side, grabbing his hand and immediately cursing himself for it, dragging the young man away regardless.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Don't talk to the media, okay? Just avoid any interviews."

"Okay. What's going on? Should I care?"

"Not really. Just don't let me beat you this time, okay? Show me what you've been working for."

"The same goes for you. Don't be lazy, fight me."

"Got it."

* * *

The heats had been posted, and Rin couldn't stop laughing. Haru was sitting quietly at this side, but a tiny smirk was tugging at the corners of his lips, and it only made Rin laugh harder.

"They don't even know what they've done," Rin announced gleefully, catching a couple of smirks from their teammates. "This is gonna be amazing."

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet."

"I'm sorry it's taken us so long to get any medals," he continued regardless. "But that's about to change."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been nearly three years since Rin first stepped into the limelight, and he was bursting with energy. Years of mistakes or slip-ups keeping him out of the finals, years of working his butt off at Haru's side, years of making record after record in training but never pulling them out when it counted – it was time for him to show the world what he was made of.

He almost felt guilty for it, like he'd been hiding his abilities to throw everyone off, or something. It hadn't been intentional, obviously – he hated himself for how badly he'd been doing internationally – but he suspected there would be people who didn't believe that.

All the Japanese team knew, of course, the way he could perform on the right day. None of them had ever questioned why he was always on the team for international events. Nor Haru, for that matter.

They'd had a bad run, but boy was that about to change.

The media presence at their heat was huge, a blessing in disguise in a way. For them, it was a waiting game for the moment they cracked, the moment he and Haru were kicked out of the first heat. In reality, it was going to be the opposite. Their cameras were going to tell the story of the day Japan proved everyone wrong.

The pair were only one lane apart, close enough to smirk at each other as they kept warm beside the blocks, bouncing up and down lightly in perfect sync. 

"Loser buys lunch," Rin announced, as he stretched out his shoulders. "Fancy lunch. Winner's choice."

"Hope you like Mackerel," Haru snorted.

Haru felt like his body was flooded with electricity as he climbed onto the starting block. His feet felt every ridge and bump beneath them, his hands tingled as he adjusted his cap, and his eyes shone when he looked over at Rin, watching him snap the back of his goggles into place.

"Don't be lazy," Haru said again, echoing an earlier conversation. "No holding back."

"None at all?"

"None."

"I'm gonna kick your butt, then."

"I'd like to see you try."

"I was gonna go for event record, not world."

"Go world."

"Well, if you insist," Rin sighed, smiling all the same. "Anything for you."

They didn't look away from each other until the starting buzzer was about to sound, and Haru's fingers clutched a little tighter at his block as he set up.

The buzzer went, and for a moment time slowed as the two men flew through the air.

Then Haru felt the water hit him, and all at once he was back. He was kicking as hard as he could, firing himself through the water, begging his limbs to work harder, to push themselves to their limits for just one more minute. 

Sometimes when he swam, he thought of nothing. His mind went blank, and suddenly it was over.

Sometimes when he swam, he thought of his friends, the way they spurred him on like they were right beside him.

But today, when he swam, all he thought of was Rin. 

He felt like he could feel which disruptions in the water were Rin's, and which were his own. They matched each other kick for kick, stroke for stroke, fighting and failing to get ahead. 

Haru hoped maybe he could get some time back on the turn, thrusting as hard as he possibly could with his feet, but when he risked a glance over Rin was just as close as before, fighting him at every metre. 

His goggles were leaking, his suit was riding up, his shoulders were aching, but he still he pressed on, determined to gain just one more centimetre to put him ahead. 

When his hand hit the wall he hissed, a burning in his palm from slapping the tiles a little too hard, and he threw his goggles and cap over the side to shake his hair out. It would take only moments for their times to show up, but before he looked at the board, he looked at Rin.

There was something about the way Rin looked at the end of a race that was magnetic. 

His hair was soaked, hanging limp over his face, dripping into his eyes. Goggles hung loose around his neck, pulled down to give him vision to the board. His cap was clutched in his hand, creased by his fingers, squeezed tight in his grip, and Haru wished he could put his hand in its place.

He turned to look at the times, and a smile came over him, a strange sense of relief. It wasn't much, but it was enough. 

"What was that about kicking my butt?" Haru teased, climbing over the side finally as the last stragglers drifted in to finish. "Find somewhere I can get Mackerel, do the research."

"Yeah," Rin chuckled, "you bet. Well done, Haru."

He threw his arms around Haru when they both found their balance, and Haru couldn't help but laugh at him.

"No world records," he mock-sighed, "what ever will they do with us?"

"Next time," Rin grinned back. "I won't hold back in the next one."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Haru scoffed, pulling away to punch him lightly. "Me neither, then."

He picked up his gear and headed out of the arena, back to the changing rooms to chug water and put some warm clothes on. Rin was right at his heels, rubbing at his hair with a towel, and for a moment they had the room to themselves.

"You looked good," Haru told him with a little smile. "I'll keep that mental image for later."

"Tell me about it. Seeing your face when you read the board was the best sight in the world."

Haru snatched the towel from his grip, whipping him with it lightly before he reached over to dry Rin's hair.

"You were pretty good," he conceded, earning a little smile from Rin. "I thought you had me for a while there."

Rin threw the towel aside and reached for a dry one, rubbing vigorously at Haru's hair and making him pout. With a grin he eased off, being a little more gentle, a little more tender, until he heard the changing room door.

"You ready to head off?" he asked quickly, throwing his tracksuit on.

"Yeah," Haru agreed, raking his hair back into place with his fingers. "Hold on, my bag."

Rin picked it up and strung it over his shoulder with his own, grinning when Haru stared at him blankly.

"Winners don't carry their own baggage," Rin sang, "enjoy it while it lasts."

"It'll last at least a week."

* * *

The lights were blinding above them, the hum of the crowd cheering and yelling raising to near deafening proportions. He knew the cheers weren't for him, but that was okay.

He was pretty sure half of them were for Rin, and that was just as good.

Despite his track record, Rin had still kept his fans. They were all over him at every event, constantly sending him messages on social media, freaking out when they got to meet him in person. 

That was the type of person Rin had always been, though. Bubbly and bright, infectious, addictive. Haru knew that better than anyone.

They'd had an early lunch, and true to his word, Rin had hunted down a restaurant where they could get mackerel to celebrate his victory. As the day grew dimmer they'd made their way back to the Aquatic Centre, and with his belly pleasantly full they'd watched a few of their fellow comptitors take their turn on the blocks.

But now it was his turn again, and his heart was pounding – whether with nerves or excitement he couldn't tell. Rin was further from him this time, a few lanes away despite how close their times had been, but still when he looked over he got a grin in return.

"Loser buys dinner," Haru smirked over at him.

"Hope you like steak," Rin shot right back.

Haru caught a few smiles this time as he turned back to his block, preparing himself to mount and get in the water.

His feet were already itching to go.

This was the furthest he'd gotten in an international competition. No matter how well he did in practice, he could never seem to repeat it when it mattered. Rin had managed semifinals the last time they competed, but Haru had fallen behind, left to sit on the sidelines and do his awkward-best to cheer Rin on.

This time they were both there, that was a start.

He refused to let it be the end.

* * *

"They're kind of our secret weapons," the coach was explaining to a reporter. "When it counts, they can always perform."

Haru's toes skimmed the water. He had already been told off for trying to get back in the pool when the events were finished for the day, so he'd had to settle for dangling his feet in while no one was paying attention to him.

A few of the coaches, like his own, were being interviewed by reporters. A couple of competitors, too. Rin had disappeared somewhere out the back under the pretense of finding his bag, but he'd been gone for a good half hour now. 

All Haru really wanted was to go back to their little apartment. It was clean, new, and pretty fancy by his standards. Each room came with two single beds, but Haru and Rin had pushed theirs together before they'd even unpacked their bags. It was a familiar game by now, and the managers knew they would always request each other as roommates, so it had saved them a lot of hassle before events.

The first time they'd ended up sharing a bed at an event it had been far from ideal, trying to squish two teenage males on a single mattress. It wasn't like when they'd done it as children, it was cramped and uncomfortable (although not entirely unpleasant, Haru refused to admit). That was when Rin had had the bright idea to join the beds together, to make one bigger bed like the time in Australia that they could finally laugh about in hindsight. 

They'd gone out the next day and bought a cheap set of sheets that would fit across both mattresses, and Haru had carried them to events ever since. Blankets were less convenient, but a large number of their events had been held in summer, anyway, and in conjunction with shared body heat and usually central heating, so far they'd made it work. 

He'd thought the Olympic Village would be more convenient than it was. With all the rumors that floated around about the athletes' social escapades he hoped they might even get full-sized beds right off the bat, but no such luck. He'd still dug out the competition-sheets and they'd still curled up together with a seam down the middle of their bed. 

He shouldn't complain, it could have been far worse.

The media attention was finally starting to die down, and Haru dared to sneak through to the changing rooms, to find Rin chatting in English with a group of swimmers dressed in a rainbow of national colours. Haru couldn't understand a word of it, despite how Rin had tried to teach him, so instead he hung back a little and watched from a distance, studying the way Rin spoke so animatedly, the way he gestured with his hands to emphasise his words, the way he laughed so brightly along with the group.

"Oh! Haru!" He beamed when he looked up and saw the young man watching them, waving him over. "This is Haru, he doesn't speak much English."

It was one of the few phrases Haru could identify, purely because Rin said it multiple times every competition, but still he smiled and nodded along as other people introduced themselves, names going in one ear and out the other.

"Nice to meet you all," he said carefully.

Rin patted him on the back fondly as he spoke, making him burn red, and no one seemed to notice when his hand lingered a little too long, surveying the muscles of Haru's back through his thin jacket.

"You ready to go?" Rin asked quietly, turning back to Japanese. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah, it should be safe."

He flashed his grin at the group again and found his feet, gesturing to Haru to follow.

"We're going to head off," he spoke in English again, glancing at Haru to see if he was understanding at all. "Haru owes me dinner for beating him."

Haru pulled a face, catching enough to get the sentiment, but smiled faintly when the others laughed.

"Good luck tomorrow," Rin told one of the men in green and yellow. "I'll keep my fingers crossed for you."

"Thanks Rin, good luck to you too."

He looped his arm through Haru's when they were out of sight, shooting him a teasing grin when he looked up expectantly.

"Hope you like steak," he said again. "Your turn to buy."

"Yeah," Haru agreed with a little smile. "Well done Rin, I'm proud of you."

"You're bitter, don't deny it."

"It's okay, Finals are the only race that matters."

* * *

It was time.

They stood in the same room, under the same lights before almost the same audience, but somehow it all felt so different.

They'd made it to the Olympics together.

They'd made it to the _Olympic Finals_ together.

Hell, there was nothing they _couldn't_ do, as long as they were together.

Rin could see it now – the two of them on the podium, side by side, holding up shining, heavy medals while cameras flashed endlessly. He could see the endless weeks of interviews, of photoshoots, of the two of them _together_ with their success.

Haru could see it too – the time board, lit up with their names, the beautiful words beside them. The cheering, the laughing, the tears pouring down Rin's face despite his beaming smile.

They were waiting to be called up to their blocks, waiting for the minute – less than a minute – that would lay the framework for the rest of their lives. 

It would be both the best and worst minute of his life, he suspected.

Even though they'd agreed to keep their distance in front of the cameras, Haru found his feet walking toward Rin, toward the other end of the pool from where he'd been sent. Rin took a moment to see him coming, but his face was soft when he did.

"Hey," Haru said softly, ducking his head a little. "Work hard, okay?"

"Yeah," Rin smirked, "don't be lazy, Haru."

Haru cracked a smile, nodding a few times before he looked up into Rin's eyes, so full of intensity and determination – and now that Haru was in front of him, so full of love.

"Loser buys the engagement rings," Haru declared stubbornly, turning to walk away.

"Oi," Rin laughed, grabbing his arm and dragging him back, "don't say that."

"Why not?" Haru challenged.

"Winner buys the engagement rings with their prize money," Rin explained. "Loser changes their surname."

* * *

"We're joined now by Rin Matsuoka, an Olympian who came home with two silver medals. The nation is very proud of you, Mister Matsuoka."

"Actually it's Nanase," Rin grinned sheepishly.

All eyes turned to the smirking young man at the other end of the couch, who shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

He glanced down at the shiny rings on his hand, the pure silver engagement ring Haru had taken so much joy in presenting to him – "It's your colour, right? It suits you." - and the shiny gold one that had been a little more tenderly exchanged.

"Rin Nanase," Rin clarified, his face burning red. "Turns out I should be more careful when I make bets."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SaysiOnTwit) and support my writing endeavors or find my other social links etc [here](https://www.saysiwrites.info)


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